Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-05-06

cause | was good lookin'.'
| Grip says Mol, you lie
"Not q word more would she tell was
sure she knowed something about my folks,
| was always sure of that. But she was
sulky that day.
ii got at her next day.
| "'Moll, says |, you old rat, if you'll tell
me about that ring I'll give you all the lot OF
| swag.'
"She wouldn't open her head held up
little bottle of black stuff That MAIDS her old
cats eye shine
"'There,' says l. is somethin' that'll mako
you happer'n New Jerusalem. I'll give you
that if you'll tell me-
"She grabbed for it, No you DON'T says
| L. Tell me about the ring first, Moll Molly
darling, Missiz Nary
"After while got it out of her. 1t was a
| quare story.
"There was twin brothers of u.s. Our father
was rich man and great mob. Moll's hus-
band, Slugger, made his honest Twin by di-
vidng rich peoples goods with himself My
father was a rich man. Slugger saved them
the trouble Of sharing their goods with the
| poor by making the divvy himself. And he
done it in the night, not to disturb 'em.
| Our house had n big yard, with trees
| One night Slugger found a back gate open,
He slipped in. He saw woman carry some
| thing white out of the house and lay it down
| under tree. Then she went back and
| brought out something else white and laid it
down by the other. That was Sluggers time
| He slips up along there, when out comes tho
woman agin, and lays down something else
| Then she went in. Slugger watched, and she
| didn't come back. He slips up closer, and
| finds there two babies asleep and n box along
| with EN- He lifts up the babies easy like
He has pocket, useful in his perfession. He
| chucks the box in that pocket. Then he
| lights out, babies and box.
"He knowed the babies and he knowed their
father.
HE was smart and lively, Slugger was,
He lodges the police, ard he slips along
through alleys and side ways, and he brings
the children home to Moll
"'There,' says he, there's pair of kids for
you. A big reward II be offered for EN-
at was game thing to do, and risky
| one SMgger opened the box. 1t was a
| jewel box Moll says it blinded her eyes to
look at tho things in it. She amt never seen
SIGH a sight since. Among the things was q
curious lookin blue ring. Slugger took up
with notion in mint. He told Moll an
| awful row would be raised about the boys,
and they couldn't be kept together. He'd take
| one and go over seas with it. The other he'd
leave with Mol. That other was me. Luck
was agin me from the time | was born.
"Slugger said he'd wait till the reward got
stiff enough Then he'd manage the business
| part from a safe ways off. He took the I'M
| common lookin' blue ring with him. 1t wasn't
worth much, he said, and it would help prove
| that the babies was them jinooine two babies
| that was lost.
"A ship went out on the tide that morning.
| Slugger kpowed every ship. He could get
aboard in onregular ways, when he pleased.
So at 5 o'clock, before people was awake, my
twin brother was in ship, started over seas
"Moll never laid eyes on her husband again.
He had pardner in London. Slugger was
| from London himself. She got letter from
| his pardner three months after he went away.
| Slugger was dead. He had been shot break
| ing into q house. He was wounded but
lodged the police and got Off to his den.
They found him dead there. In the room
with the dead burglar was little boy
Slugger's pardner knowed the child had been
| kidnapped for a reward. He didn't know
whose child it was
"Slugger's pardner was in hiding himself,
and didn't dast to come out and say anything
| The kid was took to st. Hildegarde Found
| ling asylum Some rich people adopted him
after awhile. That was tother young one.
Luck was always agin me.
MOL kept the letter. I've got it pasted in
the back Of my journal. But Moll didn't
know the name of the father Of them two
kids, tother young un and me. Sugger
wouldn't tell her He KEEP it to hisSelf for
meanness. From all we can make out, Slug
ger held as much cussedness in his skin as any
white man ever did. If he thought his wife
wanted anything that was reason enough
why she shouldn't have it. He had the right
idecs of trainin' females. Mol, the blamed
ole IDIOT why'n't she look into the newspa-
pers9 If it had been me! But women never
reads newspapers. II they did they'd know
more.
"'MolI,' says l, will you swear to this
Yes, says she, 4 will il it won't get me
into trouble. II it will, I'll swear made it
up out of my own head, every word of it,
r'Are you dead sure this is that there same
ring that was.in the jewel boxl'
"'Dead sure, Don't you see them letters
and that date inside' Them wouldn't be in
but one ring, would theyf'
"The old woman made her oath to what she
told me. pye got that pasted in the back of
my journal, too 1t always appeared to me
that if a Teller knOwed for certain he had
good blood in him, that he could make some
thing of himself"
"'Then,' says l. Molly darling, take this
and get drunker'n billed owl. That there's
for your trouble. It's bottle full Of luuda-
mum. Bless ye my child.
"Next thing: How did that ring get on the
finger of the young lady that gave it to me
for being good lookin'l here was some I'M
pleasant circumstances jned to that present
They would have worked agin me in the
minds OF people with prejudice.
about that time heard Of the death of
colored gentleman, an old friend of mime, 1t
upset my nerves completely. couldn't bear
to go near tho place where my friend had
died. Change Of scene was all that would
restore my sperrits. l jumped the country.
"But never gotany mind off that there
ring. l thought about it off and on for years.
And by stiddy study l tiggered the thing ont
at last Light broke in on me. The young
lady had English sweetheart, which he's
married 10 her nov, blast his soul, The EHg-